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Effects of Gehl’s urban design guidelines on walkability: A virtual reality experiment in Singaporean public housing estates

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  • Heidi Silvennoinen
  • Saskia Kuliga
  • Pieter Herthogs
  • Daniela Rodrigues Recchia
  • Bige Tunçer

Abstract

Walkability has become an important theme of urban design research and practice. Evidence suggests that environmental attractiveness can have a significant impact on the amount of walking activities that take place, but relatively little research exists on which environmental features linked to attractiveness increase walkability. Using a virtual reality experiment, the present study examined the effects on walkability of three key features, as defined by Jan Gehl, an influential urban planning practitioner and theorist: liveliness, high-quality façades and low buildings. A virtual reality simulation allowed isolating the effects of these features, while avoiding confounding factors, such as the presence of shops, which has been difficult to do in past field studies. Our study confirmed that the combination of features recommended by Gehl promoted walking activity in the study’s context. Further exploratory analyses suggested that improved façade quality was positively linked to walking activity, and that building height and liveliness had negligible effects. Our findings contribute to the existing understanding of walkability, which may benefit urban planning practice and models of walkability. Further research is necessary to confirm our results regarding the effects of specific features on walking activity in different contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Heidi Silvennoinen & Saskia Kuliga & Pieter Herthogs & Daniela Rodrigues Recchia & Bige Tunçer, 2022. "Effects of Gehl’s urban design guidelines on walkability: A virtual reality experiment in Singaporean public housing estates," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 49(9), pages 2409-2428, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:49:y:2022:i:9:p:2409-2428
    DOI: 10.1177/23998083221091822
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Anna Visvizi & Shahira Assem Abdel-Razek & Roman Wosiek & Radosław Malik, 2021. "Conceptualizing Walking and Walkability in the Smart City through a Model Composite w 2 Smart City Utility Index," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-20, December.
    2. S. Hassan Ameli & Shima Hamidi & Andrea Garfinkel-Castro & Reid Ewing, 2015. "Do Better Urban Design Qualities Lead to More Walking in Salt Lake City, Utah?," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(3), pages 393-410, July.
    3. Matthew Carmona, 2019. "Place value: place quality and its impact on health, social, economic and environmental outcomes," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 1-48, January.
    4. Donald McNeill, 2011. "Fine Grain, Global City: Jan Gehl, Public Space and Commercial Culture in Central Sydney," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(2), pages 161-178, May.
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